Top 7 Most Bike-Friendly Campuses

Campuses range in size drastically and usually depend on the size and population of the student body itself. For those at bigger universities, campus buildings are often widely spread apart, and students can find themselves walking nearly a mile to their next class. Many schools do offer bus options to help students move in between classes more quickly, but from my experience and the experiences of those around me, these bus routes can often be confusing and unreliable.

Perhaps the most common alternative to walking and campus bus transportation is driving. But there are very few campuses with easily accessible (or affordable) parking options. And with gas prices rising unexpectedly as well as the cost of maintenance, a car isn’t necessarily an affordable option for many college students.

It may seem as though students would be left with no option but to walk all that way, but many times there is a simpler solution: bicycles. Biking can be a great option for getting somewhere quicker and cheaper. However, not all campuses are set up to be easily or safely navigated on a bike. Some campuses are much more bike-friendly, and here those efforts are not going unnoticed.

Ditch the Car and Hop on a Bike Instead

Before we dive into spotlighting those schools that have the most bike-friendly campuses, it’s important to note why this is even something to be applauding. As previously mentioned, biking can be a better option over walking to get somewhere more easily and more quickly (especially if you’re one of the unlucky ones with only 10 minutes in between classes). But there are additional benefits of bicycling on campus as well.

To start, bikes are very environmentally friendly. Of course, so is walking, but bicycling is a quicker option that still doesn’t pollute the environment, such as driving or taking a bus. Why not enjoy the fresh air, all while still not harming it?

Another perk of hopping on a bike is the added benefit of exercise. According to research, the average sized person riding at moderate effort can burn up to 650 calories per hour. As college students, it’s hard to find the time, motivation, or energy to fit in an extra workout during the day, so why not make it part of your daily routine?

And, in addition to saving the environment and your beach body, biking can help you can save your money too. Once you buy a bike, which can usually be found used for very affordable prices, they typically require little investment post-purchase. Overall, bicycles can be a great option for many students, but of course, biking has a few risks too.

Be Aware of These Downsides to Bikes

One of the most prominent issues with biking is safety concerns. Biking on its own leads to safety issues, as it requires balance and utilizes speed that could lead to accidents and injuries, not only for yourself but others around you as well.

Plus, if you’re biking on a large campus, it is especially likely that you may encounter others on the roads: cars, buses, pedestrians, and even other bikers, which can be possible threats to your safety. Therefore, proper safety gear, such as a helmet, should be worn, and special caution should be taken to protect yourself from things and people around you.

Another common bike issue, especially on college campuses, is theft. Bikes can be stolen a bit easier than say, a car. Even more common is the theft of bike parts, such as bike seats and chains that are fairly easy to remove and often stolen by petty-theft criminals looking for parts to sell or even to add to their own bikes. So be sure to consider using a bike lock when parking your bike on campus, or anywhere else for that matter.

Despite these risks, bikes typically require much less maintenance when compared to other types of transportation. To help with many of these concerns, many campuses have specific bike rules and regulations to protect bikers and pedestrians from harm and bicycles from being stolen.

The Most Bike-Friendly College Campuses

Clearly, there are definite pros and cons of biking on campus. But for many students biking is definitely an option to be considered, and there are many campuses making an effort to be more bicycle-friendly. The League of American Bicyclists has created a list of the most bicycle-friendly universities based on schools that have supported biking on campus through forming bike share programs, bike co-ops, clubs, bicycling education classes, and biking policies.

The League created the Bicycle Friendly University Program, which evaluates universities in five areas:

Engineering

Encouragement

Education

Enforcement

Evaluation and planning

These “5 E’s” are what healthy, sustainable, higher living institutions should strive to embody when growing the biking population on their campus. The organization recognizes that not every campus will be able to fully implement all changes necessary to be a gold standard biking-friendly campus; so it awards those campuses who have made an effort to create a safer environment for bikers.

Most Bike Friendly Campuses: Silver Award

University Name

State

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Alaska

University of Arkansas

Arkansas

Florida State University

Florida

University of Florida

Florida

University of South Florida

Florida

Emory University

Georgia

Loyola University Chicago

Illinois

Northwestern University

Illinois

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Illinois

University of Illinois at Chicago

Illinois

Purdue University

Indiana

Morehead State University

Kentucky

Louisiana State University

Louisiana

Grand Valley State University

Michigan

University of Michigan – Flint

Michigan

Macalester College

Minnesota

Lees-McRae College

North Carolina

Duke University

North Carolina

North Carolina State University

North Carolina

Southern Oregon University

Oregon

Pennsylvania State University

Pennsylvania

Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia

Most Bike-Friendly Campuses: Bronze Award

University Name

State

Arizona State University – West Campus

Arizona

Hendrix College

Arkansas

San Francisco State University

California

Naropa University

Colorado

University of Miami

Florida

University of Georgia

Georgia

Southern Illinois University

Illinois

University of Illinois Springfield

Illinois

Emporia State University

Kansas

University of Kansas

Kansas

Bentley University

Massachusetts

Boston University Medical Campus

Massachusetts

Lawrence Technological University

Michigan

Concordia College

Minnesota

Truman State University

Missouri

Monroe Community College

New York

State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

New York

The College at Brockport – State University of New York

New York

Appalachian State university

North Carolina

Kent State University

Ohio

University of Toledo

Ohio

University of Wisconsin – Stout

Wisconsin

The League believes strongly in the importance of incorporating biking in high-density areas like campuses, and many of the universities are thankful for their help in making it happen.

According to Chad Larsen, the Manager of Commuter Services at the University of Utah, “The application gave us ideas how we can improve bicycling on campus. We will be addressing our bicycle subcommittee making sure we have all departments represented. We appreciate the recognition, so we can influence administration for future funding.”